Banks stop remitting freight: Export cargoes may come to halt: ACCAP

KARACHI: Air cargo agents have warned the government that all export cargoes by air could come to a halt as foreign airlines are considering stopping their services for Pakistan after banks stopped remitting freight charges to them for lack of dollar availability for more than past three months.

Apart from passenger transportation from all major international airports in Pakistan, the air cargo services are used for exporting high revenue exotic seafood, meat, fruits and vegetables, quality textiles products, leather goods, sports and surgical products, etc.

Lack of availability of destinations and facilities on the flag carrier PIA, these foreign airlines uplift more than 85 percent of export cargo to all international destinations and contribute millions of dollars in earnings to national exchequer.

Almost all the local and international logistics companies based in Pakistan cater by air and sea to Pakistani exporters. Any further disruption could create serious issues for the country’s international trade, Air Cargo Agents Association Pakistan (ACAAP) Chairman Mohsin Abbas Dharsi warned Finance Minister Ishaq Dar through a letter.

“If the international trade is stopped the economic situation will worsen,” the association warned, adding that the foreign airlines lines are already considering winding up their services in Pakistan due to current economic conditions here.

The ACAAP Chairman also wrote letters to State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmed, Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar and Khawaja Saad Rafique, Federal Minister for Aviation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023